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Subject:CAPS AREN'T JUST HARD TO READ From:Gregory=Kushmerek%AcctgMed%FIN -at- HUMRES-SERVER -dot- NET -dot- TUFTS -dot- EDU Date:Tue, 9 Nov 1993 09:13:05 EST
I agree that text in all caps are hard to read; however, I also find them
quite rude on an electronic forum.
My subject line seems to be shouting. When I read something in all caps, I
always hear a screaming voice. There are people with whom I must work who
have no sense of this whatsoever. I'll get messages in all caps, sometimes
in large, unbroken blocks of paragraphs (or what someone here wittingly
called "power typing."
I usually tell these people at some point that it is nicer to get mail
with mixed case lettering. If they continue to send me all caps text,
I find it difficult to treat them with the same level of respect.
I think that caps have their place, just as I sometimes feel the urge
to scream. However, it's one thing to post to alt.peeves saying "I HATE
VOLVOS" and quite another to write up an on-line document with capitalized
text. My inclination would be to avoid all caps at all times in on-line
material if you have multiple typefaces available in your toolkit. On
the other hand, an all caps warning could be an effective way to get the
message across.
